David Shannon has become the first person with quadriplegia to reach the North Pole. Along with expedition co-leader Chris Watkins, Shannon developed "Team Independence 09" to promote accessibility and inclusion of people with disabilities. Upon reaching the North Pole, Shannon raised a disabled parking sign and a Canadian flag, as seen in the picture on the left.
David said of the accessible parking sign placed at the North Pole, "This sign represents all peoples who have faced challenges or
adversity in their lives and have dreamed of overcoming them. If we as people,
work together in our homes, our cities, our countries and in our global
village, there is no dream that cannot be realized."
Along the way to the North Pole, the team battled life threatening cold, made worse by David's spinal cord injury, which impaired his ability to retain heat. Chris suffered frostbite on his fingers, and David contracted a serious infection in the last week of the expedition. Both Chris and David have made a full recovery and returned home to Canada.
Video of Team Independence Reaching the North Pole:
Filed under: quadriplegic, happy, milestone, north pole, achievements, history, accessibility, inclusion, quadriplegia, spinal cord injury, technology
